Chapter 4: Beware The Forest's Mushrooms
The morning mist was settling as the sun rose in Petalburg City. It had been raining steadily during the night, so the ground was quite damp and mist still lingered in the air. The residents of Petalburg would find this to be the perfect day to stay at home, but for three young trainers, this was just a part of their journey they would deal with and face undeterred. Eric, Josh, and Katrina planned to reach Rustboro City soon, and to do that, they would have to take the path through the Petalburg Woods, a large forest home to many Bug-type and Grass-type Pokemon. The locals in Petalburg City generally didn't mind a walk in the woods, but warned against going in after rainfall, as a native of the forest called Shroomish came out to feast on the composted soil in there. Shroomish could startle easily, and they scattered spores from their heads that were extremely toxic to everyone and everything around it. All the locals warned passing trainers not to venture into dead areas of the woods, as that was where Shroomish were most likely to live. Heeding these warnings, some trainers would wait in the city for another day or two, but others would go into the woods regardless. Some trainers were not smart enough to heed the warnings, and were often carried out by paramedics.
As the sun rose in Petalburg City, Eric and Josh were already up and were planning their route through Petalburg Woods. They planned to take the shortest route possible, but it would still take them at least a day if they were lucky.
"Hmm..." Eric mumbled. "I wish there were a somewhat easier route through the forest. I've got a bad feeling that we're gonna run into trouble on the route we're taking."
"Well, I can't see anything on the map of the woods, so we're just gonna have to deal with what we've got," Josh replied. He didn't like the prospect of having to spend large amounts of time in the forest, but he decided that he was just going to have to deal with it.
"I suppose you're right," Eric responded. "We're just gonna have to deal with it. We've got our Pokemon with us, and we stocked up on items last night, so we should be good if we play it safe." He opened his bag and counted out his stock of Potions, Antidotes, Paralyze Heals, and Awakenings. The shopkeeper at the Poke Mart had warned him that the Pokemon in the forest commonly caused status conditions such as Poison, Sleep, and Paralysis, so he bought a decent amount of items to keep his Pokemon healthy. Josh and Katrina had done the same. Eric folded up the map and put it in his bag, then he and Josh left their room at the Pokemon Center to meet up with Katrina in the lobby and go over the route with her.
In the lobby, a few trainers waited while Nurse Joy healed their Pokemon. Some of the trainers around here were fanatical about their training, and got up before dawn to train their Pokemon. Eric and Josh found themselves waiting for a while for Katrina to show up, but neither of them minded because it allowed them to rest for a bit, seeing as they were up early to discuss travel plans. They rested for about an hour, then Eric noticed Katrina headed for them. He elbowed Josh in the side hard enough to get his attention but not to cause any pain.
"Yeah?" Josh said groggily, having just woken up from a nap. Eric tilted his head forwards and Josh looked that way to see Katrina walking towards them. "Oh, time to go over travel plans, I see." He rubbed his eyes and sat upright as Katrina walked over.
"Morning, boys," Katrina greeted. "So, what's the plan to get to Rustboro?" Eric pulled the map out of his backpack and unfolded it, laying it on the table he and Josh were sitting at. He then took his right index finger and placed it at the entrance to Petalburg Woods.
"Well, it took us a while, but Josh and I eventually settled on this route," Eric began explaining. "We were looking for an easy route that would take less than a day, but if we're lucky, it'll take a full day to get through the forest on the easiest route we could find." He then started tracing the path with his finger. "We're trying to avoid running into trouble, so we opted to stay away from the center path, but not stray too far to the east or west, 'cuz the locals told us there are tons of wild Pokemon there that could severely injure us. We're all stocked up on items, so our Pokemon should be fine. We just need to play it safe and avoid any problem areas." Katrina nodded as Eric concluded his explanation.
"I get it. Always better to err on the side of safety," she agreed. "My concern is running into any Shroomish. The locals have been telling me that Shroomish are capable of killing adults with the spores it scatters."
"It shouldn't matter as long as we avoid any dead areas of the forest," Josh said. "That, and stay off of damp soil. That might be tough, though, 'cuz it rained last night." Both Eric and Katrina nodded.
"Well, if we're all set, let's head out," Eric said. He got up from his seat, Josh following suit, and headed for the door. It was time to make the trek through the Petalburg Woods.
It was about 9:00am when Eric, Josh, and Katrina finally reached the entrance to Petalburg Woods. Route 104, which included the woods, wasn't big unless you counted Petalburg Woods, but Josh had gone off to look for any new Pokemon in the area. He ended up disappointed, though, as the only new Pokemon on Route 104 was Taillow. When they finally reached the entrance of Petalburg Woods after battling a few trainers and wild Pokemon, they double-checked their items, made sure their Pokemon were healthy, then entered the forest. The trees obscured much of the sunlight, so it was naturally dark in the forest. The ground was also coated in dew from the rain the previous night. Eric took the map out of his backpack and unfolded it.
"Ok, according to this, our path goes slightly to the left to start out with," Eric started. I don't think this map is gonna be much help for immediate areas, though. Do either of you have a GPS or something?" Josh shook his head and Katrina shrugged. "Hmm... maybe the PokeGear has a function like that," he wondered aloud. He took his PokeGear out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons to get to the map feature. After fiddling around with it for a little, he put it away again, sighing and shaking his head. "Darn, guess we're just gonna have to rely on instinct and hope we don't get lost."
"Well, the exit is directly north of here, if I recall correctly," Josh informed Eric. "I think we'll be ok as long as we follow the path."
"Well, we;re not gonna get anywhere by just standing here and dawdling," Katrina said. "Let's go already!"
"Alright, alright. Yeesh," Josh grumbled. Katrina glared at him, but then turned around and began walking along the path. Eric and Josh followed suit. As they walked down their planned path, they encountered a lot of wild Bug-type Pokemon, but they were mostly Wurmple. Katrina didn't hesitate to beat the wild Wurmple with her own Wurmple in the hopes it would evolve into Silcoon soon. Occasionally, they would see wild Silcoon and Cascoon, Wurmple's other possible evolution, hanging between trees as they waited to become either Beautifly or Dustox. In her eagerness to get Wurmple to evolve, Katrina went up to the first trainer she saw and challenged him to a battle.
"Hey, you," she called out to a boy in a blue shirt and black shorts with a large hat on his head. He turned around.
"Me?" he asked.
"Yeah, you," Katrina replied. "You're a trainer, aren't you?"
"Yep. I'm assuming you want to battle, right?"
"You bet. I'm trying to train one of my little guys so I can use it Pokemon Contests. I just hope it evolves right."
"Ah, I bet you're training a Wurmple," the boy said. Judging from the net he was carrying, Katrina deduced that this guy was a Bug Catcher.
"I am, actually," Katrina replied. "I really want a Beautifly for Pokemon Contests."
"Well, I'll see if I can help you along, then. Name's Lyle, by the way."
"I'm Katrina. So, are you ready to battle?"
"You bet! Go, Wurmple!" Lyle tossed a Poke Ball and a Wurmple emerged. "See? I figured you were training a Wurmple 'cuz I train Wurmple myself!"
"I see. Well, let's do this! Wurmple, center stage!" Katrina called. She tossed out a Poke Ball and her Wurmple emerged.
"All right, mirror match!" Lyle exclaimed. "These are always exciting. By the way, two-on-two ok with you?"
"Yeah, that's good,: Katrina answered. "Now, go! Use Poison Sting, Wurmple!" Katrina's Wurmple raised its tail spikes and shot out poisonous needles.
"Wurmple, dodge and use String Shot!" Lyle called. His Wurmple managed to dodge the Poison Sting attack and the shot sticky string from its mouth.
"Avoid it!" Katrina ordered. Her Wurmple crawled to the side to dodge the String Shot. "Now, use Tackle!"
"You use Tackle too, Wurmple!" Lyle commanded. The two Wurmple charged at each other as fast as they could, ramming into each other and taking damage.
"Try using String Shot!" Katrina called. Her Wurmple shot string at Lyle's Wurmple's feet. The string bound Wurmple's tiny feet and restricted its movement.
"Break free, Wurmple! Try using Poison Sting!" Lyle called out. His Wurmple attempted to aim Poison Sting at the ground, but was ultimately unable to. "Darn, I gotta do something!" he said.
"Wurmple, Poison Sting!" Katrina ordered. Her Wurmple shot poison needles from its tail spikes. Lyle's Wurmple took a direct hit from the needles. "Now, use Tackle!" Katrina's Wurmple charged at Lyle's Wurmple and scored a big hit due to the string binding the feet of Lyle's Wurmple. The string broke from the force of the blow, but it didn't matter because the blow had knocked Wurmple out.
"Aw, darn it!" Lyle said as he returned his Wurmple. "Well, one Pokemon left. Go, Cascoon!" The ball opened and a Cascoon emerged.
"Hm, this is one of Wurmple's evolved forms, but it's not the one I want," Katrina said, pulling out the Pokedex to gather data.
"Cascoon, the Cocoon Pokemon. Cascoon is one of two evolved forms of Wurmple. Cascoon's body is made of soft silk which has hardened over time to form a protective shell. This Pokemon never moves because its body would be weak upon evolution if it were to move. It attaches dead leaves to its body to camouflage itself," the voice droned.
"Ok, so, a Pokemon that never moves. This ought to be an easy win. Wurmple, use Poison Sting!" Wurmple shot poison needles at Cascoon.
"Cascoon, use Harden!" Cascoon appeared to gleam a little as it hardened its body to endure the incoming attack. The needles bounced off of Cascoon's hardened body.
"What? The attack just bounced off!" Katrina said, surprised that her attack had failed.
"Harden increases the user's Defense," Lyle explained. "Depending on how hard the Pokemon's body becomes, it can make some attacks just bounce right off, like that Poison Sting."
"Hmm... this'll be tougher than I though,: Katrina mumbled. "Wurmple, Tackle it!" Wurmple charged in and struck Cascoon, but Cascoon's hardened body withstood the attack. Lyle laughed a little.
"None of your attacks are even gonna scratch the surface of Cascoon's body once its used Harden. Guess your Wurmple isn't strong enough to break through," he mocked.
"No, we'll break through eventually. We'll just wear out your defenses,: Katrina shot back.
"Well, try it and see how far you get," Lyle taunted.
"With pleasure," Katrina responded. "Wurmple, Tackle! And don't let up!" Wurmple kept striking Cascoon with Tackle attack after Tackle attack, but Cascoon didn't even budge.
"Give it up, you're never gonna break through my defense!" Lyle laughed. Katrina just kept pressing the offensive, though.
"Wurmple, add in a Poison Sting!" After tackling Cascoon a few more times, Wurmple shot poison needles at it. The attack bounced off again, though. Wurmple then resumed using Tackle. While Wurmple tackled Cascoon, Katrina looked for any signs of the Cocoon Pokemon wearing down. She caught a glimpse of Cascoon's red eyes shudder a little. She narrowed her eyes for a closer inspection and noticed that a poison needle had gotten through and left the Cocoon Pokemon poisoned. Lyle then noticed and panicked.
"Ack! It's poisoned! How did its defenses falter?" he exclaimed incredulously. Katrina smirked.
"See? I told you I'd break through! Now, Wurmple, one last Tackle!" Wurmple charged in and struck Cascoon, this time actually scoring a hit instead of bouncing off of its body. Cascoon flew backwards from the hit. Using the string-like appendages on its body, it righted itself by using trees to support it, but the poison soon proved to be too much to take, and it fainted.
"Gah, how did Cascoon lose?" Lyle said. He returned Cascoon and walked over to Katrina, who was celebrating her victory with Wurmple.
"Wurmple, you were awesome out there!" Katrina complimented her Pokemon. Wurmple made a few sounds of happiness.
"Nice job, Katrina," Lyle said. "I totally didn't expect you to beat Cascoon after I had it use Harden. You're pretty good." He then handed over the prize money Katrina earned by beating him. "Here, take this. It's the prize money for the fight."
"Thanks, I guess," Katrina replied. She pocketed the money and grabbed Wurmple's Poke Ball, but before she could hold it out, a white light bathed the area in its glow. She looked at Wurmple and saw that it was giving off the light. "I... it's evolving, isn't it?"
"Yep, it is," Lyle answered. "I wonder what you're gonna get from it?" The light began to die down as Wurmple's form began to change. The light disappeared and a cocoon-like Pokemon had taken Wurmple's place. It let out a strange sound. It had its back to the trainers, so they went around to get a look at it.
"Which one did it evolve into?" Katrina asked excitedly. Lyle took a close look at the cocoon's eyes to determine which one it was. Its eyes were not fully red like Cascoon's, instead only having red irises.
"Congrats, Katrina. You just got yourself a Silcoon," Lyle said. Katrina quickly pulled out the Pokedex to confirm.
"Silcoon, the Cocoon Pokemon, Silcoon is one of two evolved forms of Wurmple. Silcoon hang from trees using silk as it waits for evolution. It was thought that Silcoon have no way of taking in nourishment, but that had been disproved, as Silcoon drinks rainwater that falls on its silk."
"Oh my gosh, I got a Silcoon! That means I'm gonna get a Beautifly! Yes!" Katrina shouted, elated that she got the Pokemon she wanted after all. She returned her new Silcoon, thanked Lyle for the battle, and took off to where Eric and Josh were waiting. When she got to the tree they were under, the boys got up and congratulated her.
"Awesome job!" Josh said. "And that's so cool you got the Pokemon you were after, too."
"I guess the winds of fortune have decided to blow upon you today," Eric said. :Great job on the battle, and congrats on getting that Silcoon."
"Thanks guys," Katrina said. "Now, why don't we get going again? I'd like to get out of the forest sometime before dark."
"Agreed," both Eric and Josh said at the same time.
"Jinx, joke, you owe me a Coke!" Josh said right as he and Eric finished saying 'agreed'.
"Oh come on, I don't owe you a thing," Eric countered.
"Whatever," Josh said back as they got moving again.
Further into the woods, the ground was becoming increasingly damp. Eric, Josh, and Katrina were worried that they might run into a dead area filled with Shroomish. They had also been hearing a lot of rustling in the brush as either Pokemon or people were sneaking around. On one occasion, Eric caught a glimpse of a person in the brush trying to use trees for cover. The man was wearing a black uniform of sorts with a big red 'R' on the front. His head was covered by a black hat. He looked awfully suspicious, but didn't appear to be doing anything out of the ordinary except for sneaking around. Eric decided to dismiss it, though, and moved along. He figured this stretch of the trek through the forest was most likely to be uneventful. The group then encountered a man who appeared to be searching for something. Eric approached him first.
"Um, excuse me sir, but are you looking for something?" he asked. The man turned around to face him. He had brown hair, and was wearing a green blazer and black pants. The insignia on his blazer showed that we was an employee at the Devon Corporation.
"Why yes, I am looking for something," the man replied. "I've been looking for a Shroomish for a few days now, but I haven't found one. You see, I'm a researcher at the Devon Corporation. I've been tasked with studying Shroomish. The spores it scatters are highly toxic, but some pharmacists believe that they can be used to create powerful medicines and possibly anti-venom. Devon has asked me to collect some spores so that they can be studied."
"I see. Well, we're actually trying to avoid running into Shroomish 'cuz we've heard the stories of people getting killed by the spores," Eric responded.
"Yeah, that would really suck, inhaling spores from a Shroomish," Josh piped up.
"I see. Well, if you do run into a Shroomish, please tell me so I can collect some spores," the Devon researcher said. With that he turned around and continued his search. Eric, Josh, and Katrina began down the path again, when a sudden rusting in the trees caught their attention. They turned around just in time to see the Devon researcher get apprehended by a man in a black uniform.
"H... hey! What do you think you're doing?" the Devon researcher exclaimed.
"I'm on a mission here, so you'd better cooperate with me," the black-clad man growled. "You have something important on you that I'm to retrieve. So, hand over your research!"
"What? That's not something I can just hand over," the Devon researcher countered.
"Well, looks like I'm gonna have to get rough, then," the black-clad man said. He prepared to punch the Devon Researcher, but was stopped when Eric, Josh, and Katrina arrived.
"Just what do you think you're doing to him?" Eric shouted at the man.
"Yeah, leave the guy alone. He didn't do anything to you," Josh said.
"You kids don't know what you're getting yourselves into," the man said. He turned around, revealing that he had a big red 'R' on the front of his uniform. Eric recognized him as the man he had seen sneaking through the brush before. He instinctively reached for a Poke Ball. "I'm on a mission here. He has something vital to my mission, so I'm here to take it!"
"Well, we're not gonna let you," Katrina said angrily. "You can't just take what isn't yours, you know."
"Ha, you kids are in way over your heads! I'll put you all to sleep!" the man said as he reached for a Poke Ball. "Zubat, get 'em!" The ball opened and a blue bat Pokemon with sharp fangs, purple wings, purple ears, and no eyes burst out. It let out a cry as it prepared to battle.
"I got this," Eric said. He threw the Poke Ball he had reached for. "Rufflet, you're on!" The ball opened and his Rufflet flew out. It squawked as it readied itself. "Can't say I've seen his Pokemon before, though." Eric took out the Pokedex to scan it.
"Zubat, the Bat Pokemon. Zubat are generally found in caves and other places where there is no sunlight. It cannot see, so it emits ultrasonic waves to check for obstacles and to communicate."
"Zubat, use Supersonic!" the man called. Zubat began emitting ultrasonic waves in an attempt to confuse Rufflet.
"Try to dodge, Rufflet!" Eric called. Rufflet took off into the sky and flew high up to avoid the sound waves. "Now, use Peck!" Rufflet dove towards Zubat with its sharp beak pointed towards it. The speed of the fall increased the force of the blow, and Zubat took a heavy hit.
"Give it a Leech Life, Zubat!" Zubat flew close to Rufflet and bit it. Rufflet squawked in pain as Zubat began sucking its blood.
"Get it off of you, Rufflet!" Eric shouted. Rufflet shook Zubat off of it and prepared to strike. "Use Fury Attack!: Rufflet flew at high speed towards Zubat and jabbed it repeatedly with its beak. Zubat sustained many hits, then it hit the ground, unable to regain flight.
"What? That's impossible! How did a lose to a kid?" the man in black exclaimed. He returned Zubat. "Argh, this is bad... my boss is gonna chew me out for this..." He then turned to Eric. "I'll let you off the hook this time, but don't you even think about trying to mess with us again. For the glory of Team Rocket, my mission will be fulfilled in due time!" He took off down the path at that. Eric returned Rufflet as he stared at the now-fleeing Team Rocket Grunt.
"Who was that guy?" he wondered aloud.
"Beats me,: Josh said. "He mentioned something called Team Rocket. I wonder what that is?"
"Hmm... if I recall correctly, Team Rocket is an organization based in the Kanto region that commits Pokemon crimes," Katrina piped up. "They stole Pokemon from trainers, took over big businesses, and committed a bunch of other crimes. I heard they even killed a Pokemon once. It's a truly evil organization. But I thought Team Rocket had disbanded years ago. What was he doing here?"
"Well, if a lackey of Team Rocket is here in Hoenn, than that must mean Team Rocket is planning a comeback here," Eric said. The Devon researcher was listening in on the conversation.
"I don't know exactly why a Team Rocked member would be here, or why he's after my research, but this can't be good. I've got to get back to the Devon Corp. building and warn the president!"
"We'll go with you!" Eric said. "We're headed for Rustboro City anyways, so we might as well get you back to Rustboro safely."
"Oh, thank you so much," the researcher said. "How can I thank you for this?"
"Don't worry about it," Eric replied. "Now, let's go. There might be more Team Rocket guys around here." They then started back along the path towards Rustboro City.
The group had been traveling the path for quite some time now. It seemed like they weren't going to make it out of the forest before night fell.
"I'm exhausted," Josh complained.
"No time to rest," Eric said. "We gotta keep moving if we're gonna make it out of here before nightfall."
"Fine, I'll shut up about it," Josh said. They continued down the path as dusk slowly began to creep over the forest.
"Hm, not liking the look of this," Katrina said. "I was really hoping to get out of the forest before nighttime, but it looks like that won't be possible."
"Might I say something?" the Devon researcher piped up. The trainers turned to face him. "Nightfall in Petalburg Woods is when most of the Pokemon like to come out, so I think we're going to see an increased presence of all the bugs in the woods and possibly Shroomish." The trainers gulped a bit.
"Not good at all," Eric said. "Come on, we've got to hurry." They all picked up the pace as the darkness slowly crept in. A little further down, Eric noticed they were stepping on a lot of fallen leaves and the ground seemed very moist. He took a quick look around and noticed a lot of dead trees and fallen branches. "Uh, guys, this is bad," he said, a small trace of fear in his voice.
"What's up?" Josh said.
"We've entered a dead zone," Eric said. Josh and Katrina gulped.
"Let's hurry and get out of here," Katrina said, obviously very nervous. As they ran through the dead zone, which seemed to stretch on forever, the forest became darker and darker as night fell. It became much harder to see, so the Devon researcher brought out a flashlight to light the way. They continued running, leaves crunching underfoot. Suddenly, the Devon researcher signaled for them to stop.
"What's the matter?" Eric asked.
"Quiet," the researcher said. A sound was heard from near a dead tree branch. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. It came from over there."
"That was a Shroomish making that sound. Be very quiet as you walk past." They began to tiptoe past the spot where the Shroomish was supposedly hiding. As they got past that spot, another sound was heard from the brush. "Oh man, that was another Shroomish," the researcher said. "Forget being quiet, let's run for it!" They began running away from the Shroomish. Faster and faster they ran until they saw an end to the dead zone.
"I see living trees!" Josh said. "Come on, let's go!" Before he could go any further, though, sounds emanated from all around them. "W... what was that?"
"Shroomish," the researcher said. "They've got us surrounded. We must have trespassed on their territory." Sure enough, a whole pack of Shroomish emerged from the bushes. The trainers quickle took out their Pokedexes to figure out their best plan of action.
"Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon. Shroomish live in the depths of forests where the soil is most damp. It feasts on composted soil, so it is likely to be seen after rainfall. Shroomish scatter highly toxic spores from its head that make trees and weeds wilt. Inhaling these spores will cause severe pain and poisoning, and have been known to kill even adult humans."
"This is really bad," Katrina said.
"No kidding, Josh said back.
"The Pokedex didn't help much," Eric said. "We might just have to fight back if they attack us."
"Get ready, you three," the researcher warned. Sure enough, The pack of Shroomish attacked. They charged straight at the group.
"Torchic, go!" Eric called, throwing a Poke Ball. It opened and the Chick Pokemon emerged with a cry. "Quick, use Flame Burst to repel the Shroomish!" Torchic shot a ball of fire from its mouth to keep the Shroomish at bay. The fireball hit the ground and it burst, causing splash damage to some of the Shroomish. One Shroomish retaliated by shooting a seed at Torchic. "Burn that seed with Ember!" Torchic shot countless small embers at the seed, burning it up. "Phew, that was close."
"If I'm not mistaken, that was Leech Seed," the researcher stated.
"Good thing I burnt it to a crisp," Eric replied. "Torchic, drive them back with Flame Burst!" A ball of fire shot from Torchic's mouth towards the Shroomish, bursting and causing splash damage. Several of the Shroomish began making angry noises.
"Uh oh, you've angered them," the researcher said. "I think they're about to start scattering spores. Cover your mouth and nose when they do!" Just as he predicted, the Shroomish began to shake, scattering spores from their heads. They all covered their noses and mouths and made a break for it. Torchic cleared a path with Flame Burst, forcing a few Shroomish to move. While running, the researcher held out a jar and captured some of the spores. They eventually reached a clear spot in the forest where they could rest. Tired, they all slumped to the ground.
"Phew, glad we're out of that mess," Josh said while breathing heavily.
"You said it," Eric agreed. "That was a nightmare."
"That was really nasty," Katrina said. "Boy, am I glad we got out of there."
"That was awfully close," the researcher said. "The only upside to this is that I managed to get some spores in this jar so I can finish my research." After catching their breath, they got back up and attempted to get out of the forest. However, Katrina didn't get up. Eric turned back to her.
"What's wrong, Katrina?" he asked. He didn't get an answer, though, because Katrina was crouched down and shuddering. Eric ran up to her. "Are you ok?" No answer. Eric put his hand up to Katrina's forehead to see if she was running a fever. He recoiled as he felt how hot her forehead was. "Yow!" he yelped. "She's burning up! Oh no, I think she may have accidentally inhaled some of the spores!"
"What? This is an emergency!" the researcher exclaimed. "What are we to do?" Eric quickly thought of something.
"I know. Josh, I need you to stay with the researcher and be his bodyguard in case Team Rocket shows up again. I'm going to run as fast as I can to Rustboro City with Katrina and get her to a hospital," Eric explained.
"But, why can't we all go get her to the hospital?" Josh wondered.
"Because a group of our size would ultimately slow us down, and time is of the essence," Eric said. "Plus, we still have to worry about Team Rocket, so it would be best to split up for now. You two take a break for a bit, then get moving soon. As for me, I'll get Katrina to the hospital." Josh nodded, understanding the plan. Eric nodded back. "Don't worry, Josh. Just trust me on this."
"I trust you, Eric," Josh replied. "We're best friends. I've always had your back, and you've always had mine. I completely trust you." Eric smiled.
"I trust you too, Josh. This is why we're best friends, after all. Now, take a short break, but get moving soon. I'll meet you in Rustboro City. Just give me a call on the PokeGear when you get there." With that, Eric scooped up Katrina and carried her bridal-style since there was no room on his back. Eric found that she was quite light, so his speed wouldn't be hindered as much. He took of like a lightning bolt racing through the sky.
"Run, Eric! Run like the wind!" Josh called after him. Eric heard him, but was too far away to reply.
'Run like the wind,' he thought. 'I've got to run like the wind. I am, after all, the Knight of the Wind.' He shifted his gaze downwards and looked at Katrina, who's breathing was becoming short and raspy. "Don't worry, Katrina," he said to her. "I'll get you to the hospital and then you'll be fine. I swear it upon my unofficial title as the Knight of the Wind." Katrina attempted to say something, but her body was wracked with pain, so she couldn't speak. "Take it easy," Eric told her. "I'll get you to the hospital in no time. They don't call me 'Knight of the Wind' for nothing." With that, he bolted into the darkness of night and breakneck speed, "I'll save you. Don't worry. I'm here for you."
And that's this chapter done! Wow, I did this once quickly, AND its eleven pages long! The idea for this chapter came from me looking at Shroomish's Pokedex entries on and listening to the song used in the Forest Maze in Super Mario RPG entitled 'Beware The Forest's Mushrooms'. So, in this chapter, the gang makes it to Petalburg Woods. Katrina's Wurmple evolves into a Silcoon, the Pokemon she wanted so she could get a Beautifly. Then, they stumble upon a Devon Corporation researcher searching for a Shroomish. A shady guy then apprehends him and demands he hand over his research. After Eric battles him, he reveals that he's a member of Team Rocket. Then, the trainers try to get the Devon researcher out of the forest as fast as possible, but run into the territory of a pack of Shroomish. While they do escape from them, and the researcher gets a jar of spores for his research, Katrina accidentally inhales some spores and becomes gravely ill. Eric takes it upon himself to get Katrina to a hospital in Rustboro, leaving Josh to guard the Devon researcher. Is Eric going to make it in time to save Katrina from the fast-acting poison of Shroomish's spores? Find out next time!
Fun Fact: Obviously, the title is inspired by the song 'Beware The Forest's Mushrooms' from Super Mario RPG. I thought it fit well with this chapter since they were constantly trying to avoid areas where Shroomish lurked.
The song I mentioned Eric was singing in the previous chapter has been guessed correctly. The song was 'Knight of the Wind' by Crush 40 and from Sonic and the Black Knight. Congrats to sonicboom123456 for correctly guessing it. In case you all hadn't guessed already, 'Knight of the Wind' is going to be Eric's unofficial theme song.
Until next time, MasterFreezeman, signing out.